Recoil-check for vehicles.



H. A. HOME. REGOIL GHEGK r03 VEHICLES. APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 26,.1907.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

. INVE 70/? 16 2.

- WITNESSES B ATTORNEY HENRY A. HOUSE, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

RECOIL-C HEGK FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed January 25, 1907. Serial No. 364,001.

sectional view of one of the suspension spring I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HOUSE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Bridge ort, 'in the county of Fairfield and State of onnecticut, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Recoil- Checks for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to recoil checks for vehicles; being an improvement on the de vice for which Letters Patent were issued to me Jan. 16th, 1906, and numbered 810,282. In my former device the returning or recoil springs had to be made strong to permit the grippers to move with every slight movement of the frame of the car in'order that said grippers might take hold firmly whenever the car received .a sudden jolt. This continuous movement of the grippers and the friction against the inner wall of the cylinder or casing incident to such movement, soon wore thefrictional' face of the grippers to the extent that they would'not always hold.

My present improvement consists in employing, suspension springs between which the gripping device is held or suspended, so that, these suspension springs will sustain the weight of the car. In other words, these suspension springs maintain the bodyof the car normaily in a horizontal line, and thus permit the wheels to follow the slight irreguarities of the road bed with the device moving vertically to follow these irregularities while the grippers remain stationary. But when there comes a sudden jolt sufficient to com ress the vehicle s rings to a point where t ey are liable to be hroken in the sudden rebound,ihen the grippers Will take hold and prevent this sudden rebound by holding the compressed vehicle springs for a second, when the grippers will relax their hold and ermit the vehicle springs to move slowly ack to normal.

the suspension spring cases and compound springs therein, sectional view of the recoil check casing, grippers, and broken view of the connecting rod of the recoil device, and sectionalview of the car axle; all the parts being in a normal position. Fig. 2-is a cross cases, on line -aa of Fig. 1.

While the recoil check forms no part of my present invention, a brief description, however, will be given of its construction and operation. I

1 is the outer cylindrical shell or casing.

2 and 3 are the semi-circular grippers carryingthe semi-circular cork packings 4 adapted to have frictional engagement with the interior of the shell 1. p 6 are supports secured to said grippers. 7- and 8- are toggle arm levers journaled in said supports;

9* is a lock having the transverse slot 5-7 and 1 0 therethrough toreceive the free ends of the toggle arm levers. The lower threaded end of this block is screwed into the interiorly threaded coupling 11, and 12 is the connecting rod whose upper threaded end is also connected with said coupling.

-13- and 14- are studs anchored to the top of the casing 1 Whose lower ends carry the adjusting nuts 1 5- and -16-.

17v is a plate held normally in a horizontal position and, at thesame time, permitting the grippers to expand and'contract.- This plate has holes-notshown, therethrough to freely admit the studs 13 and 14,. 18- and "19 are springs loosely embracing said studs andare located between the nuts 1 5 and 16 and the plate '17 and are normally compressed as shown.

20 is a chain connecting the lower end of rod 12 with the axle 21 22-- and 23' are cylindrical-shells seowed to the central casing 1. 25 are studs projecting wlthm these 24- and shells for the purpose to be presently described. These-studs are anchored in theyoke 26-, which yoke is suspended from the hook27' attached to the frame 28 of the vehicle. As the mechanism in both of the shells 24 and 25 are similar, a brief description of one will suffice.

29 is a coarse pitch spring located between the top of the shell and the base of the thimble 3 0-.

31-- is a finer pitch spring located between I the nut 32 of the stud 24, and the bottom of the thimble, thus making a compound spring. v

In my former patent, as before mentioned, the recoil check was directly connected to the frame and axle and, consequently, the casing 1 moved up and down with the axle for every slight vibration resulting from the slight irregularities of the road bed, and it coil check, while the check itself is suspended on these side springs. This enables the wheels ofthe car to ride over any obstruction that would not compress the elliptic springs of the car beyond a point calculated to insure easy riding and, at the same time, effect no independent vertical movement of the shell of the recoil check until after an undue and dangerouscompression of the cal-springs has taken place, and when such undue compression occurs, the stored up tension of the springs 18 and 19' will loosen the springs but also keep said springs from being i crushed or thrown out of alinement as when, under a sudden and heavy jolt, the thimbles are brought violently against the top of said shells.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

14 In a vehicle, the combination with a recoil check of the construction shown and de scribed, of suspension springs, shells embracing said springs and contiguous to saidcheck and by which said check is suspended, means for connecting said suspensionsprings with the frame of the vehicle, and the recoil check with the axle, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a vehicle, the combination with a recoil check adapted to arrest the sudden return of the vehicle springs after compression,

said recoil check having grippers, a casing embracing said grippers, means for expanding said grippers under a sudden compression of the vehicle springs to engage with the inner wall of the casing so as to temporarily check the recoil of the springs, means for connecting the recoil check with the axle, and-side suspension springs to form a flexible support on which said recoil checkis suspended and independent of the body supporting springs for the purpose set forth.

3. In a vehicle, the combination with a recoil check adapted to arrest the sudden return of the vehicle springs after compression, said recoil check having a casing, expansible grippers therein, toggle arms connected with said grippers, a connecting rod, means thereon to engage said toggle arms to expand the grippers, means to connect said rod with the axle, and a resilient support for the recoil check independent of the body supporting springs for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, in a vehicle having compressible springs, of a recoil check adapted to arrest the sudden recoil of said springs after compression, said recoil check having a casing with expansible grippers therein, toggle arms connected with said grippers, a con necting rod engaging with said grippers, means for connecting said rod with the axle,

shells secured to said casing, suspension springs in said shells, studs projeetingfwithin said shells and supporting the suspension springs, a yoke in which said studs are anchored, and means for connecting the yoke with the vehicle frame, for the purpose set forth.

Si ned at Bridgeport in the county of Fai eld and State of Connecticut this 14th day of Jan. A. D. 1907.

. HENRY A. HOUSE. Witnesses:

GEO. D. PHILLIIfS,

' HORACE Pres. 

